The Team Chaos Chronicles
by ChaosJedi
Summary: This is the backstory to Legend of ChaosJedi. It's not as good as Legend in my opinion, but it provides info on many things that may confuse the reader. Please R/R...
1. The Reality Project part 1: The Adventur...

The Reality Project  
by Ryan Carroll  
  
***Author's Note: In my last story, Sonic Championship (still in   
progress), I explored the idea of what it would be like if we could   
enter Sonic's universe... but what would it be like if he was   
transported into ours? (Some characters I borrowed from the   
Daylight Savings story by NetRaptor; that story is a must-read!)***  
---------------------------------------------------------------------  
This was definitely NOT my day. I tried to improve on the Virtualizer   
and wound up with the biggest mess on my hands...  
  
I should explain. The Virtualizer is a gateway that my friend Jason   
McLaughlin and I-- oh, sorry, my name's Ryan Carroll-- anyway, it's   
a gateway we built that can transport actual physical matter into   
electronic information in the form of virtual objects. I might as   
well tell you the whole story from the beginning...  
  
Jason and I had used the Virtualizer before to travel into several   
Sonic the Hedgehog games, such as Sonic Championship, Sonic R, and   
others, but we felt limited. Sonic, Tails, and the other   
inhabitants of the universe couldn't remember us from previous   
adventures, and we had to reintroduce ourselves all over again,   
every time. We wanted a way to actually enter the whole universe,   
not just small parts here and there. So, for starters, we relocated.  
  
The abandoned warehouse in the commercial district was perfect.   
For one, what kind of secret scientific project isn't kept in an   
old warehouse? For another, no company would rent the place--   
something about strange magnetic fields affecting the equipment   
used to move the cargo around or something... It shouldn't have been   
a problem. Third, my bedroom was becoming just a little too crowded   
with the three of us in there... Oh, have I mentioned that my friend   
Wesley Johnson walked in on one of our little visits by accident?   
That could have become a sticky situation! To make up for it he   
offered to help us on our next project.  
  
Anyway, the three of us worked on the new project 24-7. We called   
it The Reality Project, and the new gateway became known as the   
Dimensionalizer. We got help from a little bit of each of the   
sciences: biology, molecular chemistry, quantum physics, astronomy,   
etc.  
  
Then one day, the gateway opened. Wes went through and back out   
successfully. We had just made trans-dimensional travel possible--   
and we're only 17-18 years old!!!  
  
Today, we decided to go through the gateway and interact with Sonic   
and company. That's when "the big problem" occurred. I remembered   
something about those magnetic fields that people mentioned, how   
they fluctuated with the gravitational pull of the moon, or   
something like that.  
  
Today is a new moon, which means the strongest pull of the moon is   
between 11 AM and 1 PM.  
  
We charged up the gateway at precisely 11:45 AM.  
  
Our first clue that there was a problem was when the computer   
flashed, "WARNING! STAY CLEAR OF GATEWAY! INCOMING   
OBJECT(S)/PASSENGER(S)!" and then, "WARNING! TRANS-DIMENSIONAL   
LINK SEVERED!"  
  
In other words, someone had booked a one-way ticket on the   
Dimensionalizer Express, whether they had meant to or not.  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
Sonic the Hedgehog, his buddy Tails, and their friend Slasher the   
winged velociraptor had been racing through the Great Forest back to   
Knothole after a fruitless scouting mission, when suddenly Slasher   
stopped, looked around, and pulled Sonic and Tails into the bushes   
bordering a small clearing. Sonic was puzzled.  
  
"What's wrong--"  
  
"Sssshhhhh!!! Something isn't right here, but I don't know what."   
Sonic never doubted her motives or methods, but this time she seemed a   
few cards short of a full deck.  
  
Suddenly, in the middle of the clearing, a blinding flash occurred,   
and where there had been nothing there now stood a metal-framed   
arch, which seemed to frame a portal of some sort.  
  
"This must be what Sal and Bunnie saw yesterday," observed Sonic.   
"C'mon, let's check it out."  
  
"All right, but be careful!" warned Slasher.  
  
As they all approached the portal, there was a sudden burst of   
hurricane-force wind, as if all the air on Mobius was trying to   
escape through the small gateway. Sonic and Tails had a   
horrifying flashback of being sucked into the Interweb, which had   
erased their memories of anything that had happened before that   
event.  
  
Being unprepared for such an occurrence, all three were pulled into   
the portal, which closed behind them, cutting off their voices in   
mid-scream.  
  
The gateway frame remained.  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
Our third clue that something was wrong was when a massive burst of   
air hit us like a freight train, knocking all three of us to the   
floor.  
  
"I think there's something wrong with the gateway!" Wes was forced   
to shout above the sound of the wind.  
  
"No, really?" Jason retorted. "Brilliant deduction, Sherlock; never   
could've figured that one out!!!"  
  
As he spoke, seven multi-colored bursts of light flew out of the   
gateway. A green one landed on my class ring and vanished; a white   
one did the same with Jason's, and likewise a red one with Wes's.   
The other four flew off unaccounted for.  
  
We had just stood up as the wind died down when the gateway spat   
out a blue hedgehog, an orangeish-colored two-tailed fox, and a--   
whatever the heck it was, it looked like a big lizard. The hedgehog   
landed on me, the fox on Wes, and (fortunately) Jason dodged the...   
dinosaur? which landed on the cement floor.  
  
The portal dissolved, cutting off the wind.  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
The map of Mobius on the theater-sized screen looked like a picture;   
but at a time like this who cared how beautiful-- or otherwise--   
the planet looked? All that concerned Snively at the moment was   
the fact that the chaos emeralds-- which he had been tracking on the   
map-- had suddenly rushed to one point in the Great Forest... and   
had subsequently vanished. Snively absolutely _hated_ being the   
first to know about something like this. It meant that he had to   
report this to Dr. Robotnik... who would likely send him out of   
the room via a closed door again. He was only doing his job; why   
should _he_ be punished for something that was likely the fault of   
that annoying blue hedgehog?... Well, steaming over his   
predicament wouldn't do him any good; he'd better tell the Doctor   
about this right away, like it or not...  
  
Meanwhile, Sally and Knuckles, unaware of what had happened to   
Sonic, Tails, and Slasher, were at that moment sneaking into   
Robotropolis on a sabotage mission, when they heard the explosion.  
  
"WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?"  
  
"That was fast," Knuckles said with a smile. "We haven't even   
blown up anything yet, and Doc's already mad."  
  
Sally could barely hear him, thanks to Robotnik's blue streak that   
usually followed an outburst of that caliber, which usually   
followed bad news being brought to his attention.  
  
At that moment, part of the wall blew out of Robotnik's palace.   
Snively fell 100-plus stories to the street below. Sally saw him   
stand up, brush himself off, and walk back inside, most likely   
muttering useless threats as he did. Knux could barely hold in   
his laughter.  
  
Two minutes later, Snively was obviously back in Robotnik's office   
again.  
  
"What do you mean, all seven chaos emeralds are gone?"  
  
"Just what I said, sir; they were scattered around the globe when   
they suddenly gravitated toward a point in the Great Forest and   
disappeared!"  
  
Snively created a second hole on his way out of the building again.  
  
Sally whispered to Knuckles, "This mission is canceled; let's head   
back to Knothole and see if Sonic's team found anything or know   
anything about this."  
-------------------------------------------------------------------  
The next few minutes consisted of brushing ourselves off,   
introducing ourselves, and explaining what things we _could_   
explain.  
  
Jason came up with the most likely solution as to _why_ the   
trans-dimensional link failed.  
  
"The facts as we know them are as follows: This building is   
vacant because of magnetic fields that seem to affect equipment.   
This field fluctuates the same way the tides do, because of the   
moon's gravitational pull. Today is a new moon. The strongest   
pull of the moon is between 11 and 1. We fired up the gateway at   
11:45. Now--"  
  
"Jason?" I jumped in.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You sound like a geek."  
  
"Just remember that comment the next time I have to help you with   
your Physics homework."  
  
"Point taken. You were saying?"  
  
"Now suppose that the gateway-tunnel is made up of an   
electromagnetic field. Then the field in the building would pull   
the tunnel field towards itself--"  
  
Wes finished the thought. "And the tunnel would pull anything nearby   
through it like a vacuum cleaner!"  
  
"Precisely!"  
  
During this whole dialogue, Sonic, Tails, and Slasher had been   
listening with some interest. Tails had lost track of what the   
heck we were talking about long ago and was flying around looking   
out the fogged windows. Suddenly he dropped to the floor.  
  
"Someone's coming!"  
  
The other five of us were instantly on guard. "Did you get a   
good look at them?" I asked.  
  
"It's three girls. They drove up in a ground vehicle, looked at   
the ones that were already parked out there, and they're heading   
for the door!"  
  
Our worst fear-- our girlfriends had noticed we hadn't been   
around and decided to see what we were doing.  
  
Lisa I didn't have a problem with, it was the other two; I didn't   
know if I could trust them. Of course, when I think about it,   
I'm sure Wes felt the same way about Christy and Jason about Vicki.  
  
The door opened...  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
"What do you mean they're not back yet?" Sally demanded.  
  
"Just what I said, they never checked back in." Rotor's face   
showed concern, but only half as much as Sally's did.  
  
Just then Serena, Sonic's sister, came in. "Hi, guys! Is Sonic   
back yet?" The looks on everyone's faces answered _that_ question.   
"Uh, oh. That's a bad thing, isn't it?"  
  
Sally knew there was only one thing to do. "Come on, we're   
going back to that clearing I found yesterday; Sonic might be   
checking that out."  
  
Serena and Knuckles had to run to catch up to her.  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
"Ryan?" It was Lisa. "Hello?"  
  
"Hey, Lisa; what are you three doing here?"  
  
"Checking up on you; What have you guys been up to?"  
  
Jason cut in. "Oh, just working on little project."  
  
"Well, since you geniuses have been out here a while, we thought   
we'd bring you some lunch."  
  
"Great; I'm starved. What did you bring?" Wes sniffed the air.  
  
"Oh, just some chili dogs from the Sonic Drive-In."  
  
At hearing the words "chili dogs" and "Sonic", I involuntarily   
glanced up into the framework of the roof of the building. I   
instantly realized my blunder and looked down again. No one had   
noticed.  
  
"Well, see you scientists around sometime. Don't be scarce!"  
  
"'Bye!" all three of us chorused at the same time.  
  
The door closed. We didn't relax until the car drove off.  
  
"That was close," Wes sighed.  
  
"That," I replied, "is an understatement in the highest degree."  
  
A voice drifted down from the rafters. "Can we come down now?   
I smell chili dogs and cheese fries!"  
  
"Sure, no problem. They're gone."  
  
Sonic and Tails free-fell from the framework where they had been   
airlifted by Slasher. Slasher, choosing the more graceful   
approach, glided to the floor.  
  
Sonic picked up a bag. "And they personalize your meal! Way   
past cool!"  
  
I sighed. "Actually, that's the name of the restaurant.   
Ironic, isn't it?" There goes our lunch, I thought.  
  
"Sonic, that isn't for you, it's for them," Slasher reprimanded.  
  
"All right, but I'm hungry!"  
  
"I'll get you some before you leave," I promised.  
-----------------------------------------------------------------  
The clearing still held the deactivated gateway. Sally approached it.  
  
"Nicole, determine the function of this... archway."  
  
"Function: interdimensional gateway, currently inactive. Green   
button opens gateway to last location accessed."  
  
Knuckles stepped forward. "Translation for those of us who speak   
English please?"  
  
Sally glared at Knuckles. "She said that this is probably where   
Sonic went. What say we try it out?"  
  
Serena came up and interjected, "If we can find my brother, let's   
do it!"  
  
Sally pushed the green button.  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
We had just finished lunch when the control panel for the gateway   
went crazy.  
  
"What time is it?" I demanded.  
  
Wes checked his watch. "It's 12:30."  
  
"GET CLEAR OF THE GATEWAY!!!!!"  
  
Sure enough, the gateway opened, once again unleashing the   
unnatural hurricane. Three more bodies came flying out of the   
gateway. Jason managed to slap the shutdown button on the control   
panel.  
  
More introductions. I was beginning to feel like I was hosting a   
Freedom Fighter convention. Sally updated the first three on what   
they had learned from Robotnik's outburst.  
  
"Chaos emeralds?" I inquired. "You mean those things that came   
flying out of the vortex were _Chaos emeralds_?!?"  
  
"So it would seem."  
  
"So we have three of them right here?"  
  
"HUH?"  
  
Apparently no one had noticed that since the first gateway disaster   
our class rings had been glowing brightly. In fact, I'd shoved my   
hand in my pocket when the girls had been here so they wouldn't   
notice...  
  
"GOOD NIGHT!" I burst out loud.  
  
"What?" Slasher asked.  
  
"The girls! Their rings were glowing too! All three of them! I   
never thought about it until now!!!"  
  
"But why would the emeralds do that?" Serena wanted to know. A   
valid point.  
  
Sonic had the answer. "To ensure that they would stay together.   
But, that only accounts for six of the emeralds. Where's the   
seventh one?"  
  
"A hidden location," Knux put in. "To ensure they don't fall into   
the wrong hands."  
  
"Well, we have to find it, but I have two questions. First, why   
use people's rings to ensure they stay together, and second, how do   
we find the seventh?" I asked him.  
  
"To answer your first question, it may be so that more than one   
person can benefit from their use."  
  
"And the second question?"  
  
"I haven't the slightest idea."  
  
  
End Part 1  



	2. The Reality Project part 2: I'm Givin' '...

The Reality Project-- Part II  
by Ryan Carroll  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
"Try it now."  
  
The gateway opened. Hurricane force wind blasted through it.  
  
"Turn it off! Shut it down!"  
  
The gateway closed, cutting off the wind.  
  
"Forget it, Ryan; there's no way we can fix this tonight. It's   
already 9:30 and I need some sleep." Wes yawned.  
  
"What about the others?" I asked, indicating Sonic and the others.  
  
"What about them?"  
  
"Well, we can't just put them up in a hotel, now can we?!?"  
  
"Well, we can't take them home; my Mom would freak." Jason had a   
point.  
  
"Look; I'll take Sonic, Knux and Slasher; my parents are at a   
couple's retreat and they won't be back until Saturday. That   
gives us all week."  
  
"What about us? Our parents are _home_."  
  
"Pitch a tent in your yard if you have to, but no one else can   
know about this!"  
  
"All right, all right; boy, are you getting cranky!"  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
I got Sonic and Slasher to my house without incident. Slasher said   
that she would fly, which was fine with me; I could only fit two in   
my car anyway, and it would have been interesting to be pulled over   
by a state trooper with a winged raptor on my roof. Knux rode on   
Slasher's back.  
  
I gave Knux my bed, Sonic took the family room sofa, and I took my   
parents' bed. Slasher took up the whole living room, which,   
fortunately, had a high ceiling.  
  
I started my nightly Bible reading. I was doing one of those   
programs where you read the whole Book through in a year. That   
night I happened to be reading Psalm 23 and the third chapter of   
the gospel of John. I read aloud when I'm alone; it helps me to   
visualize what the author is saying.  
  
"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down   
in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores   
my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His   
name's sake.  
  
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I   
fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they   
comfort me. Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence   
of my enemies; Thou hast anointed my head with oil; my cup   
overflows."  
  
As I stopped to reflect on these verses, I jumped when I realized   
that Slasher had been reciting the passage with me, and she   
continued to recite the last verse: "Surely goodness and   
lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will   
dwell in the house of the LORD forever."  
  
"You know Scripture?"  
  
"Of course. I have studied it for as long as I can remember. It   
is the least I can do after all that Jesus has brought me through."  
  
"You're a Christian?" I still don't know what surprised me more,   
the fact that she knew Christ, or the fact that she had studied   
the Bible, even in a different universe. We talked for a long   
time, each teaching the other about doctrine and Scripture.  
  
I got around to reading John, chapter three.  
  
"...For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten   
Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have   
eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to   
judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.   
He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has   
been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of   
the only begotten Son of God."  
-------------------------------------------------------------------  
Knuckles slipped back into bed. He had a lot to think about. Ryan   
obviously believed the same things that Slasher did; That much was   
obvious by the several minutes' worth of conversation he'd   
overheard. But this time he'd heard something he'd never heard   
before: that passage of Scripture about believing in the Son of   
God. He hadn't made a "decision of faith" as Slasher called it;   
was he already judged for the wrong things he had done over the   
years? And if he was, how could he make things right? What could   
he do to make up for the mistakes he'd made? Voices drifted down   
the hallway.  
  
"But according to God's Word, there's nothing we can do to make   
things right with God. That's why He sent Jesus down to earth to   
die for us; He was the perfect sacrifice."  
  
"Exactly. Here's an illustration. Imagine a bottomless chasm."  
  
A bottomless chasm. Knux remembered something like that, but from   
where? Then he remembered Sonic's adventure in Nightopia, when   
he'd been in a coma. Nights had quoted that passage that Ryan   
had been reading about the "valley of the shadow of death".  
  
"Imagine sinful man on one side, and God on the other. Everything   
we do to try to cross the chasm falls short, dooming us to eternal   
separation from God."  
  
Eternal separation. Not a good thing.  
  
"But God made a perfect way across the chasm: the cross. All we   
have to do is accept it. It's a choice. God gave us a free will,   
and He wants us to choose Him, but it's still our decision to make.   
Do we accept God's gift of eternal life, or do we go our own way   
and separate ourselves from Him?"  
  
"A very good illustration," Slasher was saying.  
  
But Knuckles was no longer listening. He just had to know Jesus   
in person; to accept this free gift of eternal life. But how?   
Only one answer to that. Pray. It's what Slasher always did.   
But what do I say? he wondered. A magazine on Ryan's nightstand   
caught his eye. The page it was folded back to was titled, "How   
to Become a Christian". Coincidence? Not likely. Farther down   
the page he read "The ABC's of the 'Sinner's Prayer'". How   
_convenient_.  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
The next morning I got up early to make breakfast. I popped a   
Keith Green CD into the stereo and started cooking omelets.   
Knuckles came downstairs as the CD came to the song, "Your Love   
Broke Through". I thought nothing of it, really, but Knux seemed   
mesmerized by the words.  
  
All my life I've been searching  
For that crazy missing part  
But with one touch You just rolled away  
The stone that held my heart  
And now I see that the answer was as easy  
As just asking You in  
And I am so sure I could never doubt  
Your gentle touch again  
It's like the power of the wind  
  
Like waking up from the longest dream  
How real it seemed  
Until Your love broke through  
I was lost in a fantasy  
That blinded me  
Until Your love broke through  
  
"Wow!" Knux whispered.  
  
"Huh?" I asked, busy cooking.  
  
"Nothing. Where's Slasher?"  
  
"In the living room; why?"  
  
"I've got something I need to tell her."  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
Two hours later, Jason showed up with Tails.  
  
"Just the two of you?"  
  
"Serena wanted to be with Sally. Who was I to argue?"  
  
When Wes arrived, Sally and Serena looked tired.  
  
"Where've you two been?"  
  
"Sleeping in Wes's car."  
  
"What?!?"  
  
Wes got defensive. "Look; my parents were home and I couldn't   
just bring them inside. I had no other choice."  
  
"I understand, but maybe a hotel room wouldn't be such a bad idea   
tonight."  
  
"Can _you_ afford one?" Wes asked pointedly.  
  
"Well, not exactly. Look, on second thought, I'll room everyone   
here tonight."  
  
"Hey, look at this!" Tails interjected.  
  
The TV set had been set on a timer while my parents were away, and   
the morning news was on. The anchorwoman was reporting on the   
previous day's stories.  
  
"A strange jewel found late last night in a construction site near   
the commercial district is being placed in a museum pending   
auction. The jewel, though a dazzling blue color, is clearly an   
emerald, say expert geologists. It appears to glow on its own,   
which makes the emerald even more bizarre. An auction will be   
held Friday, and the gem is expected to fetch over 100 million   
dollars. In other news, the San Antonio Spurs are on their way   
to the Final Playoffs after a clean sweep in the Western   
Conference Finals--"  
  
I flipped the TV off. "Now what?" I asked to no one in particular.  
  
I was immediately flooded with ideas on how to retrieve the seventh   
chaos emerald, ranging from trying to bid on it to stealing it   
before it could be auctioned off. None of these sounded good.  
  
Suddenly I had an inspiration. I turned to Slasher. "What's the   
best way to get people to see your point of view? Wrong person   
to ask." I turned to Jason. "What's the best way to get people   
to see your point of view?"  
  
A dawning-of-comprehension type of grin lit his features. "You   
advertise!"  
  
"And what do people read in grocery stores that they believe to   
be true no matter how phony the evidence may be?"  
  
The grin grew wider. "Tabloids!"  
  
We stopped as we realized that everyone else (Except Wes) was   
staring at us trying to figure out what the heck we were talking   
about.  
  
Once I had explained the basics, I got into strategy. "We write   
to a tabloid and tell them about the gem, adding the idea that   
it's cursed. This will at least cut down on the number of people   
who will bid on it. As for the rest..." I winked at Slasher--   
"I think a sudden dinosaur attack will take care of that."  
  
Slasher looked shocked. "Surely you're not suggesting..."  
  
"What other choice do we have? And don't call me Shirley."  
  
That brought a groan from everyone in the room.  
  
Knuckles interjected, "But if we're going to have all the emeralds,   
we need _all_ the emeralds."  
  
"In other words," Wes added, "we need to tell the girls."  
-------------------------------------------------------------------  
Metal Sonic had received the coordinates of the last known   
whereabouts of the chaos emeralds. He was now scouting the area,   
searching for the gems.  
  
The gateway, blatantly obvious in the middle of the clearing, went   
unnoticed.  
  
"Mecha to Dr. Robotnik," the robot called through his comlink.  
  
"Yes? What did you find?"  
  
"Nothing; no emeralds, nothing to suggest what caused them to   
disappear, and no sign of... you-know-who." The robot hated   
Sonic with a vengeance. He despised even the sound of the name   
of his superior-- although he would never admit to being inferior.  
  
"Hmmm... Return to base, Mecha," ordered Robotnik. "We need to   
consider possibilities.  
  
"Affirmative. Mecha out."  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
We had all settled down to a game of Risk (playing in teams)   
when the doorbell rang. I signaled with my head for everyone to   
go upstairs. They did.  
  
I went to the door and, with Jason and Wes behind me, opened it.   
"Uh, hi, Cliff," I said, surprised. "Come on in."  
  
Cliff Schlattmann was another guy in my class; he was much better   
in English and history than in the scientific classes. He never   
was that interested in science, so I had never really considered   
letting him in on the Reality Project. Involuntarily, for some   
odd reason, I glanced down at his hand.  
  
His class ring was glowing a bright blue color.  
  
His voice tore my gaze away from the ring; whether he had noticed   
his ring, or the fact that I had been staring at it, I couldn't   
tell. "The girls sent me with a message. They're kinda   
concerned about something."  
  
"Uh, oh." That usually meant that they wanted to know what was   
going on with us; why we'd been to busy for them, or something.  
  
Just then, the TV set came on. _Great_ timing! Just when I was   
about to find out what the girls wanted. But then the news flash   
caught my eye.  
  
"An expensive gem was stolen from the city museum earlier today.   
Police have no clues yet, as it seems as if the emerald just   
disappeared from its high-security display case. The glowing-blue   
emerald was to be auctioned off on Friday. In other news..."  
  
Cliff glanced down at his ring, over to the TV, and back at me.   
I showed him my ring, as did Jason and Wes. "We need to talk," I   
said.  
---------------------------------------------------------------------  
Cliff simply could not be convinced of the facts. He thought   
the whole thing was a big joke. Finally I had an inspiration.   
"Hey, Jason, go fix some chili dogs. I'm getting hungry."  
  
Jason was about to object when he met my gaze. I glanced upstairs   
and back at him. He nodded to signal that he got the message.  
  
Five minutes later, the smell of chili permeated the entire house.   
Then came the cry of "Lunch is served!"  
  
Just as Cliff stood up, a blue streak flew past him from upstairs,   
knocking him back into his seat. "What the heck was that?!?!?"  
  
I smiled. "Come into the kitchen and see."  
  
Sure enough, the sight of the one and only Sonic the Hedgehog was   
enough to convince Cliff. The fact that everyone else piled into   
the kitchen for some lunch didn't hurt, either. He explained that   
he had been walking through the museum that morning. When he had   
seen the emerald, he somehow just knew that he _had_ to look at   
it. When he got within three feet of the display case, the   
emerald had disappeared and his ring had started to glow.  
  
"Quick change of subject. What did the girls want?"  
  
"They wanted to know about that weird magnetic field in the   
warehouse you guys are working in. They said that their rings   
have been glowing ever since yesterday when they dropped off your   
lunch."  
  
"It's time they knew. Come on, guys. You too, Sonic."  
  
Sonic was lounging on the easy chair watching TV. He was   
obviously enjoying the luxuries of life here a little _too_ much.   
"Whaddya need me for?"  
  
"As proof that I'm telling the truth."  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
Metal Sonic was connected to Robotnik's primary computer, uploading   
his visual memory for Robotnik to view.  
  
"Wait a second," he interrupted. "Rewind a little bit."  
  
Mecha did so.  
  
"What is that?"  
  
"What is what?"  
  
"That gateway there. It must be there for some reason."  
  
"My sensors did not detect any gateway, and they still do not."  
  
"Are you malfunctioning?!?!? It's there, as plain as the   
moustache on my face!"  
  
"Perhaps it is out of range of my optical color spectrum... Allow   
me to adjust my visual scanners... There, I see it now. I cannot   
ascertain its purpose, however."  
  
"I want you to find out."  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
If Cliff was hard to convince, the girls were impossible. Lisa   
thought it was a joke, Vicki thought it was an excuse, and Christy   
thought it was just plain baloney.  
  
However, the sight of a certain blue hedgehog was enough to break   
the barrier of disbelief.  
  
We all agreed to meet the next day at the warehouse. It was time   
to do some experimenting with the chaos emeralds.  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
The gateway stood like a sentry in the middle of the clearing. A   
lone silhouette hid among the shadows of the trees, making sure no   
one was watching. It hovered over to the gateway and pushed the   
green button. It was caught up in the sudden rush of air and   
sucked into the portal.  
  
The portal closed behind Metal Sonic.  
  
End Part 2  
  



	3. The Reality Project part 3: The Start of...

The Reality Project-- Part 3  
by Ryan Carroll  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
"This is not good."  
  
The thirteen of us-- seven humans and six Mobians-- were gathered   
around the gateway control panel.  
  
"What is it?" asked Sally.  
  
"According to the log, someone came through the gateway less than   
two hours ago."  
  
"Maybe it was one of the Freedom Fighters looking for us," Serena   
rationalized.  
  
"Somehow I doubt it. The security camera took this picture." I   
pointed at the screen.  
  
The shot was of a blue and silver robot vaguely resembling Sonic.  
  
"This is NOT good. It's Mecha. He's found the gateway somehow.   
Robotnik probably knows about it by now!"  
  
"So now what do we do?" asked Wes.  
  
"First, we prepare. Then, we go after him."  
  
"Aaaaaaannnnnnd... how do we prepare?"  
  
I shot a grin at everyone. "We see what these emeralds can do."  
-------------------------------------------------------------------  
Meanwhile, Mecha was scouring the streets for any sign of the   
emeralds or the Freedom Fighters. No such luck. In the more   
heavily populated areas he engaged his cloaking device, but he   
preferred to stick to the back alleys where his cloak wouldn't   
drain his energy.  
  
As he was passing down Main Street (cloaked, of course), he passed   
a TV/radio store. He stopped to look at the inferior   
communication devices. The local news was being broadcast onto   
every TV screen in the store, including the ones in the display   
window.  
  
"Still no trace of the blue emerald which disappeared from the   
city museum this morning..." The newscaster recapped the story   
of where the jewel was found as the screen showed a picture of it.  
  
Mecha's visual sensors widened as he recognized one of the chaos   
emeralds. He took off at top speed for the warehouse district.  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
We'd all been a little cautious about our rings since we knew the   
chaos emeralds were slightly... volatile.  
  
Now we stood in a circle, ready to activate the emeralds.  
  
"Let's do it!!!" We thrust our right hands into the center of   
the circle, rings pointing in.  
  
What happened next is hard to describe. It's as if a blinding   
column of light shot up from the ground through the place where   
our rings met. The column expanded outward, enveloping us, and   
then it faded.  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
Mecha had just entered the warehouse district when he saw the bright   
flash of light come from one of the buildings. His logic   
circuits told him to investigate. He did.  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
When my eyesight returned, we were all wearing really cool-looking,   
really high-tech-looking armor. The armor each person was wearing   
corresponded to the color of their ring. Mine, for example, was   
dark green.  
  
We had become Team Chaos.  
  
"Awesome!"  
  
"Cool!"  
  
"Way _past_ cool!!!"  
  
"Hey! That's _my_ line!" Sonic objected.  
  
A menu appeared on the visor of my helmet. It included   
selections such as fight, mech, flight, and other options. I   
thought about the the fight option, which opened a new menu.   
Hmm. Thought controlled. Cool.  
  
Air conditioning built into the suit switched on. Hmm. Guess   
I'd better be careful what I think when I'm using this suit.  
  
Then the "lightsaber" option caught my eye.  
  
A section of armor popped open, revealing a silver-colored   
cylinder. I pulled it out and switched it on. The blade   
matched the color of my armor. I looked around and saw the   
others experimenting with different weapons, scaled down Mech   
chassis, and flight/hover jets. This was going to be fun.  
  
Slasher interrupted. "The gateway's working!" We looked, and   
sure enough, the portal was open... and it wasn't blowing a 200   
mph wind, either. With the emeralds together and activated, the   
strange magnetic field around the building was neutralized.  
  
Slasher called the other Mobians. "Come on, let's go!"  
  
A voice drifted down from the ceiling. "You're not going   
anywhere."  
  
Mecha dropped from the rafters where he'd been hiding for   
several minutes. "So, Son--... Son--... rival, we meet again.   
Too bad you can't use your emerald belt to get out of this jam;   
not while your friends are using the chaos emeralds."  
  
It looked like a stalemate.  
  
"Hey, chips-for-brains! Look behiiiiiiiiiind yooooooouuuuuuuu!!!"  
  
Metal Sonic turned around... to find he was staring at lightsaber   
blades and down blaster barrels.  
  
Every villain applies the old saying "Discretion is the better   
part of valor" to a situation such as this even when valor is as   
far removed from them as benevolence. (Translation: Even bad   
guys know that it's best to beat a hasty retreat when you're   
outnumbered.) Mecha applied this principle now. He turned and   
dashed through the gateway...  
  
...and out the other side. Serena had switched the portal   
closed while Mecha's back was turned.  
  
Wes fired a static pulse blaster at the fleeing robot, frying his   
circuits and stopping him cold.  
  
I walked up to the pile of collapsed metal. I pointed at it and   
addressed the crowd. "This is your brain..." In one fluid   
movement I pulled out my lightsaber and slashed through the body   
several times. I pointed again. "This is your brain on drugs."   
I sliced through once more for emphasis. "Any questions?"  
-------------------------------------------------------------------  
I watched as the group of Mobians left for Knothole through the   
portal. I stopped Slasher, who was last to go.  
  
"Do me a couple of favors."  
  
"Absolutely."  
  
I handed her a book and an envelope. "Give the book to Knux, and   
deliver the envelope to Robotnik."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And take this. It's a remote signaling device. These lights   
tell you if you can come, if you can't come, and if you have to   
because it's an emergency. The buttons over here will send the   
corresponding signal back to us."  
  
"I'll take good care of this. And thank you for everything."  
  
"No problem. Catch you on the flipside!!!"  
  
"Only if it's a good song!" she replied, and leaped through the   
portal.  
  
The vortex closed, and we stood there for a moment. I   
deactivated my armor and turned to the others.  
  
"Let's go eat. I'm starving!"  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
Robotnik found an envelope on his desk the following morning. He   
opened it... and found a picture of a sliced up robot. It was   
Mecha. The back of the photo read, "Courtesy of Team Chaos.   
Have a nice day!!!"  
  
"NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
Slasher handed Knuckles a package.  
  
"What's this?"  
  
"A little gift from Ryan. Go ahead and open it up!"  
  
The cover of the book read Holy Bible. Knux opened it up. The   
dedication page read, "To Knuckles the Echidna, in honor of your   
acceptance of Christ. Welcome to the family of God!"  
  
  
  
  
  
***End Episode I***  
Episode II: Initial Reality-- Coming Soon  



	4. Initial Reality part 1: Problems and Pre...

The Team Chaos Chronicles: Episode II  
Initial Reality  
by Ryan Carroll  
---------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
What went wrong?  
  
That's the question that echoed through my head as I watched the   
scene unfold. I was lying on the ground, conscious but wishing with   
all my heart that I wasn't. The pain was unbearable. Sonic was   
nearby, in a crumpled-up heap on the ground, as if he'd been tossed   
there like an old shoe. I couldn't see the belt now, but I knew that   
Robotnik was wearing it. He laughed hysterically...  
  
My vision started to fade. "I'm sorry..." I started to say, then   
I drifted into peaceful blackness.  
  
What went wrong?...  
-------------------------------------------------------------------  
The next thing I was aware of was Jason's voice.  
  
"Hey, La-Z-Boy, wake up!"  
  
Huh? I opened my eyes with a start. What happened? How did I get   
home?... Oh, man, what a nightmare! At least that's all it was...   
or was it? Better not tell the others about it.  
  
"What?"  
  
"We're about to head out to Adventure Landing and you're drifting   
off to sleep!"  
  
"Oh, sorry. Was I, uh, you know, like-- talking in my sleep?"  
  
"Not that I could tell... Are you okay? You look a little pale."  
  
"No, no; I'm fine."  
  
I was anything _but_ fine.  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
When we got to Adventure Landing I had completely forgotten about the   
dream. All seven of us (the new guardian-bearers of the chaos   
emeralds) headed for the shooting games. While Jason and I worked   
on beating Time Crisis II, Cliff and Wes played The Lost World:   
Jurassic Park, another shooting game. The girls watched.  
  
I overheard Wes jokingly say to Cliff, "If Slasher saw us playing   
this, she'd filet us!"  
  
Slasher. Sonic. The dream came back as vivid as before. The idea   
that something could go so wrong because of me...  
  
"Hey, what's with you?" Jason's voice cut in.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You just got 100% accuracy on that last round."  
  
"So?"  
  
"Nothing personal, but you _never_ get 100% accuracy on this game."  
  
My cover was blown. "I'll tell you later."  
  
Later I beat the record score on Laser Tag and the record time on   
the go-kart track.  
---------------------------------------------------------------------  
When we got back to my house we discussed my problem, aka the dream.  
  
Lisa came up with the idea. "Let's relax in Knothole for a while.   
It's nice and peaceful there."  
  
Yeah. Famous last words. She was actually thinking about going   
_to_ the place where Robotnik was?!? Then I realized that it would   
be nice to chill in the forest for a while. And maybe I could warn   
Sonic...  
  
I checked the remote that was attached to the gateway frame of the   
Dimensionalizer. (We had moved it back into my room after our   
last use with it; no weird magnetic fields existed anywhere _near_   
my house.) The green light signaled "all clear" for transport.  
  
Somewhat reluctantly, I punched in the coordinates and off we went.  
---------------------------------------------------------------------  
On the Mobius side of the portal, the gateway frame had been moved   
to Knothole. A flashing light indicated that we were coming through.  
  
The village was deathly quiet. "Is it just me, or is the place   
empty?" Vicki asked.  
  
Silence. "It isn't just you," I replied.  
  
More silence. Then a groan. "Hello?" I called.  
  
The reply was faint. "Ryan? Is that you?"  
  
"Slasher? Where are you?"  
  
"Over here."  
  
"Uh... it would help if I knew where 'here' is."  
  
"About 20 paces to your right."  
  
The winged velociraptor that I had come to know and love was lying   
on the ground, breathing shallowly. She was really beat up.   
Whoever got the drop on her had been _really_ stealthy in their   
approach-- normally no one could get within 100 feet of her without   
her knowing it.  
  
"What happened to you?"  
  
"Robotnik knows about you. He kidnapped all the others as bait   
and left the village the way it was as a decoy."  
  
"O-kay, but that still doesn't tell me what happened to _you_."  
  
"I was out scouting, and when I got back R.K. got the jump on me.   
You can't rescue them!"  
  
"And just WHY NOT?"  
  
"It's a trap. He wants _you_... all of you."  
  
Lisa cut in. "Hey, what's this?"  
  
We all looked at her. She was holding what looked like a belt   
made of vinyl and studded with gems.  
  
"Sonic's belt!"  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
Seven scaled down Mechs entered Robotropolis.  
  
I ran through the battle plan. "Okay, guys, you run interference   
while I find the prison."  
  
"You got Sonic's belt?"  
  
"Wearing it right now. Slasher even showed me how to activate it."  
  
"Godspeed, Ryan!"  
  
"Amen to that!"  
  
I held back and started sweeping the area for life signs that   
matched Sonic's parameters. The others went in full speed to   
attract attention. The sensor sweep was taking forever, it seemed...   
Come on... Bingo! I selected normal mode and my Mech seemed to   
collapse, leaving only a suit of armor occupied by one determined   
individual. I pulled out my lightsaber for defense and headed   
for the prison.  
---------------------------------------------------------------------  
Sonic and the others were chained up in their cells, but a few   
quick sweeps with my saber blade took care of that. I replaced the   
lightsaber and selected "mass transport". The armor quickly   
expanded into a bus-sized hovercraft. With that many onboard,   
however, the top speed was only about 60 mph. If the super   
emeralds were charged up... maybe I could get this sucker going...  
  
That's when I made the biggest mistake of my life. I activated the   
belt.  
  
The hovercraft disappeared as the armor deactivated. I looked at   
Sonic. His face registered disbelief.  
  
What had I just done?  
-----------------------------------------------------------------  
Robotnik had been watching the entire battle from his office.   
Perfect. Time to strike.  
  
"Robo Knux, initiate Plan Hidden Palace."  
-----------------------------------------------------------------  
It wasn't long before the other team members found me.  
  
"What did you do?!?"  
  
"Look, I didn't know that would happen!"  
  
"Well, deactivate it!"  
  
"All right, I will!" The second I did, a red robot appeared out of   
nowhere and snagged the belt right off my waist. "Robo Knux," I said   
through clenched teeth.  
  
"After him!" I was halfway through "after" when everyone took off   
after the robot, with Sonic in the lead. With the belt deactivated,   
the seven of us were able to suit up again. R.K. headed straight   
into a dead-end alley. Like cats chasing a mouse, we followed him   
in.  
  
The next few seconds felt like an eternity. Robotnik was waiting at   
the end of the alley. Robo Knux passed the belt to him. The seven   
of us and Sonic pounced on him just as he activated the belt.  
  
My nightmare came back to haunt me... only this time, it wasn't a   
dream. I was lying on the ground, conscious but wishing with all   
my heart that I wasn't. The pain was unbearable. Sonic was nearby,   
in a crumpled-up heap on the ground, as if he'd been tossed there   
like an old shoe. I couldn't see the belt now, but I knew that   
Robotnik was wearing it. He laughed hysterically...  
  
My vision started to fade. "I'm sorry..." I started to say, then I   
drifted into peaceful blackness.  
  
To Be Continued...  



	5. Initial Reality part 2: Worship

Initial Reality-- Part 2  
by Ryan Carroll  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
Voices echoed through my head. They were either lamenting my failure,   
blaming me, or claiming they would never trust me again. Even the   
pain I had endured when I was still conscious was better than this!   
How could I undo what I had done?  
  
Gradually the voices faded away, leaving only silence... except for   
a melody. It was familiar, but I couldn't quite place the tune.   
As I pondered this, scenery came into view. Rolling green hills,   
trees here and there, and a peaceful stream running through it all.   
A building caught my eye; it looked like my house. I ran toward it,   
opened the front door... and found myself face-to-face with Nights.   
I recognized him from Sonic's description (he had told me about all   
his adventures), so I knew who he was.  
  
"Hello, Ryan," he began. "I am here to console you."  
  
Praise God for little things like that. "That's just what I need   
right now."  
  
"It really wasn't your fault. You didn't know that the belt would   
deactivate your armor. It was a trap, plain and simple."  
  
"Thanks. I needed to hear someone say that."  
  
Nights smiled. "That's what I'm here for."  
  
"Any ideas on what to do now?"  
  
"Only the song you hear. That will open the doors of your prison.   
Think Paul and Silas, if that's any clue."  
  
"Paul and Silas, huh? I'll have to remember that..."  
  
"You'll wake up soon. I hope next time we can meet under more   
pleasant circumstances."  
  
"Amen to that. See you around."  
-------------------------------------------------------------------  
Waking up hurt. Opening my eyes hurt worse. Sitting up just about   
put me out again, but I tolerated the pain. Barely, but I succeeded.  
  
I looked around. Apparently I had trashed Robotnik's primary   
prison cell block, because we had all been dumped in one cell.   
Suffice to say, it was crowded. I got plenty of blank, untrusting   
looks when I glanced around. At least everyone was okay... so far.  
  
Now, how on earth do I get us out of here? That tune...   
Aaaarrrrggghhh! Where have I heard that tune before?... ...  
  
"Eureka!!!!"  
  
Jason, who was obviously asleep (until my outburst, that is)   
gave me a look. And I DO mean a LOOK. If his eyes had been lasers   
I would have been roasted on the spot. "What?!?"  
  
I told him my plan.  
  
"Paul and Silas, eh? Well, it's better than sitting around here   
waiting to be robo-- whatever."  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
Reactions to the plan ranged from "it might work" to "better than   
nothing" to "yeah, right".  
  
"Come on, guys; what would Slasher do in a situation like this?"  
  
That did it. A silent prayer went up all around, then Jason and I   
started singing the song that I had heard in my dream.  
  
"Lord, I lift Your name on high... Lord, I love to sing Your   
praises... I'm so glad You're in my life... I'm so glad You came   
to save us... You came from heaven to earth, to show the way; From   
the earth to the cross, my debt to pay; From the cross to the   
grave, from the grave to the sky; Lord I lift Your name on high!"  
  
The other team members joined in, then Sonic, Tails, Knux (who   
couldn't hold a note if his life depended on it), Sally, and all   
the others. Soon the building was shaking from the combined   
voices.  
  
...The building was shaking? That wasn't from our voices; that   
was an earthquake!  
  
Just as it had almost two thousand years ago, the cell door flew   
open.  
  
"Show's over, folks! Exit this way please!"  
  
"What about you?"  
  
I activated my armor.  
  
"How did you--"  
  
"Trust me on this one. I've got to do this alone."  
  
I pulled out my lightsaber. A split-second later, my armor was   
deactivated, but the lightsaber remained. Just as I thought;   
Sonic's belt had been deactivated unintentionally during the   
earthquake. I had noticed that my ring was glowing again; it had   
faded out when the power was being drained by the super emeralds.  
  
"It's time for a showdown."  
---------------------------------------------------------------------  
"What caused that earthquake?!?"  
  
"I don't know, sir; it just happened!"  
  
"Quit your whining, Snively, and get me a damage report!"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
A disembodied voice broke in. "Do the words 'divine intervention'   
mean anything to you?"  
  
"Who said that?"  
  
"I did." And with that I dropped to the ground from the framework   
where I'd been hiding.  
  
"You..."  
  
"Yeah, and? What's your point?"  
  
"You're history!"  
  
I don't know how he did it, but he threw lightning bolts at me;   
fortunately, I deflected every one of them. I slowly inched forward.  
  
"You'll never get close enough to get the belt! Face it; you   
lose!"  
  
"Who said anything about getting close?" I flipped a hidden switch   
on the handle of my lightsaber, causing the blade to double in   
length. I then sliced through the belt with the extreme point of   
the blade, fired a grappling hook from under my sleeve (I had made   
a special wrist launcher) snagged the belt, and pulled it back to   
me.  
  
All this happened within seconds. I deactivated the belt, put it   
around my waist, activated my armor, and sidestepped Robotnik's   
furious attack. He skidded about ten feet on the floor before   
finally coming to a stop. That gave me enough time to activate my   
rocket glider and blast away towards Knothole.  
  
"Forget the hedgehog... you're mine, boy!"  
  
"Uh, sir?"  
  
"What is it, Snively?"  
  
"Here's that damage report you wanted..."  
  
Snively experienced yet another painful exit through a closed door.  
---------------------------------------------------------------------  
The party went on for several hours. Music, food, games...  
  
As I returned Sonic's belt to him, I asked, "Do you guys always   
celebrate like this?"  
  
"Never this much before, but I have a feeling we'll be doing this   
more often with you guys around!"  
  
Soon after, I found a place to crash. Within minutes I was dead to   
the world.  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
"Congratulations, Ryan."  
  
"Hey, it was the Lord's plan; I just put it into effect."  
  
"And you did it wonderfully."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"How about we fly around for a while?"  
  
"Sounds good to me, Nights."  
  
"Let's go."  
-------------------------------------------------------------------  
"Hey, La-Z-Boy, wake up!"  
  
"Huh? What?"  
  
"Come on; we're heading to Adventure Landing and you're sleeping!"  
  
"Oh, man; don't tell me it was just a dream!"  
  
"Never mind that; we've got to fire up the portal and get home."  
  
We walked to the portal. Slasher was there, all bandaged up. She   
was a quick healer; her scars were already disappearing.  
  
"Praise God!"  
  
"Amen," she replied.  
  
The gateway closed behind us.  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
Jason and I played Time Crisis II again. My accuracy was about 15%   
each level.  
  
  
  
  
  
End Episode II  



	6. Worlds Apart part 1: Return to a Land Lo...

The Team Chaos Chronicles-- Episode III  
Worlds Apart  
  
"Are the coordinates set?"  
"For the fifth time, Slasher, YES! I can't believe you're nervous about   
this."  
The winged raptor and I were standing in my room (well, actually, she was   
crouched on my bed; she wouldn't have fit otherwise) and were about to   
open the gate to go on a little trip, mission unknown. Only the two of   
us knew about it; we didn't want to worry any of the Freedom Fighters or   
Team Chaos members.  
"It's just that it's been ages since I've been in Jurassic Park."  
"...Waaaaait a minute. You've been there before?"  
"Actually, yes."  
I was curious. "When?"  
"It was such a long time ago... I was actually there in Space-Time Six."  
"Huh? I thought that you stayed just inside the gate so you wouldn't   
get lost."  
"Well, that gateway shifted to different locations every so often, and   
took everything within a radius of about 10 feet with it."  
"Ohhhh, I see. The gate took you to Jurassic Park, and you stayed   
there as long as the gate did."  
"Exactly."  
"You know, I'm kind of glad you've promised never to tell anyone how   
you got there, or I might be tempted to try it."  
"Well, let's get to the matter at hand; this isn't just a tourist trip,   
you know."  
I gave her a double take. "Then why _are_ we going?"  
"I'll tell you when we get there."  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
I'm not sure if I've ever described the tunnel experience before. When   
you first walk in, it feels like you're walking into a wall of water.   
Once you're through that, it suddenly feels like a thrill ride; the free   
fall, the volcano coaster, and a wind tunnel all in one. But that's   
nothing compared to the sight you experience. It looks like you're in   
a virtual reality helmet, with a swirl of multi-colored stars zooming   
past you, an occasional burst of light passing by you, and the   
swirling rainbow which marks the target zone. Get headed in the wrong   
direction, and you could get lost forever, but the current of energy   
pushing you along makes sure you don't get lost. The view is   
breathtaking, but the most amazing thing is that you can still   
breathe. Then you get thrown out the other end, and without practice   
you can easily land flat on your face. I've taken some tips from   
Sonic; I throw my arms and legs back and keep my head high, and   
then I curl into a ball just as I pas!  
s through the tunnel exit. The uneven energy barrier flips me into a   
spin, which i come out of by uncurling. I've gotten good enough that   
I can land on my feet most of the time.  
However, this was not to be one of those times. The gateway appeared  
at the top of a hill. I came out of my spin to land on uneven ground,   
causing me to stumble and roll down the hill.  
Slasher glided down to where I'd landed. "Ouch."  
"No kidding. You mind helping me up?"  
She did, and we both looked around.  
"Where are we?"  
"I set the coordinates for the plains where the herbivorous dinosaurs   
are allowed to roam free. It's the carnivores that they have to keep   
fenced."  
"I see. So where is the gate?"  
"It should be... that way."  
As we walked, more and more dinosaurs came into view. I looked around   
and couldn't help but think of the majestic movie theme on one of my   
CDs at home.  
We reached the gate. The gigantic wooden doors stood over 100 stories   
tall.  
"What do they keep in there, King Kong?" I quipped, looking for a way in.  
"Hop on."  
"Huh?"  
"It's the easiest way in. Hop on."  
It's easy to forget something even as blatantly obvious as the wings on   
Slasher's shoulders. I jumped on her back as she glided effortlessly   
over the gate into the park complex.  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"So why _are_ we here?"  
"There's technology in this complex that we can use against Robotnik.   
I would've asked Knux to come with, but he and Sonic had a falling out   
recently, and he refused us access to the Floating Island. Later,   
Sonic called to ask if he'd seen Sally, and Knux climbed all over his   
back. I asked Sonic what happened, and he said he had no idea. Sally   
had sent him out there to take a week off from the demolition work in   
Robotropolis. He got a little impatient."  
"What'd he do?"  
"Went hyper with a jackhammer. Not pretty."  
"Ouch."  
"Anyway, while he was out there, Knux kept getting angrier and angrier   
with him, and all he did was act normal. He said that when Knux dumped   
him off back at Knothole he looked and acted like he'd been tormented   
endlessly about something. Anyway, the two haven't spoken since."  
"I don't get it. How can a friendship go sour like that?"  
"I think something else may have had a part in the whole matter, but I   
have no idea what."  
We walked in silence for a few moments, until we came to the main   
visitor's center. "Here we go. The coordinates should have sent us   
to the point where everyone is busy and no one will notice a thing   
until after we're long gone."  
I anxiously awaited her return. Several minutes later, she came back,   
with a leather pouch around her neck. "Let's get out of here. I   
think one of the security cameras may have spotted me."  
I jumped on and she fled back the way we'd came. She leaped into the   
air and beat frantically with her wings, but just as she reached the   
apex of her climb, she lurched.  
"Are you OK? What happened?"  
"Tranquilizer dart... I think I can make it..."  
She made it halfway from the gate to the portal. Then she collapsed   
on the ground. I activated my Chaos Armor and carried her to a safe   
place where no one would find her unless they knew exactly where to   
look. I then scanned her body to find any trace of the tranquilizer.   
I found 5000 cc's of a chemical foreign to her body. I started   
praying when I saw what the chemical was. Li(2)O(3)-- Lithium   
Trioxide. Poisonous to all living things. I ran for the portal.   
Slasher needed an antidote... and if she didn't get one soon, she   
was going to die.  
  
End Part 1  



	7. Worlds Apart part 2: The Rescue Party......

The Team Chaos Chronicles-- Episode III  
Worlds Apart-- Part 2  
  
I came out of the tunnel at a run. Wes was waiting for me. "Where ya   
been, man?"  
I ignored his question; there wasn't time. "What's the antidote for   
Lithium Trioxide?"  
"Lithium Trioxide? Isn't that poisonous?"  
"Just answer the question! Slasher's been injected with some!"  
"No way."  
"The antidote?"  
"Oh yeah... It's Barium Tetrafluoride."  
"Barium Tetrafluoride?"  
"Found on earth only in synthesized form. In natural form..."  
"Found everywhere on Mobius."  
"Exactly."  
"Come on."  
"Where are we going?"  
"We're going to get some Barium Tetrafluoride."  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------  
In Knothole we found Sonic and Tails fishing at the nearby lake.   
Sonic looked up at me expectantly. "Where's Slasher?"  
"We need some Barium Tetrafluoride."  
His eyes widened. "No."  
"'Fraid so."  
"How much Lithium Trioxide?"  
"5000 cc's."  
"Oh, man."  
"What?"  
"The only place you can get Barium Tetrafluoride in the concentration   
you need is on the Floating Island."  
"So?"  
"Knux made all the Freedom Fighters _persona non grata_."  
"But not us." I turned. "Come on, Wes."  
"Where are you going?" Sonic called after us.  
"We're going to the Floating Island," I replied over my shoulder.  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
Knuckles climbed to the top of the tallest mountain on the Floating   
Island for his daily surveying. He'd given the rest of the Chaotix,   
including the newest member, Tal, a couple weeks vacation (they   
jokingly called it "shore leave") to visit the mainland. Now he was   
here, alone. Alone to think about how he'd wrongly mistreated Sonic   
and the other Freedom Fighters... If there were only some way he   
could make it up to them...  
A flash of light caught his eye. At first he thought it was just the   
sun reflecting off the water below, but as he looked closer he saw it   
was higher over the horizon. He reached down for his binoculars,   
which he kept in a niche in the rock at the top of the mountain. As   
the distant objects came into view, he immediately recognized the   
profile-- Pyro GX models. he only knew of seven people who used those.  
But why didn't they use the teleporter? Stupid question, he reminded   
himself; he'd securely hidden the teleporter when he'd returned from   
Knothole after kicking Sonic off the island. Man, he felt terrible   
about that...  
The two jets streaked in, hovered over the mountaintop, and suddenly   
seemed to collapse as the two jets reverted to normal armor mode.   
Green and red.  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Wes and I deactivated our armor. Despite what we'd expected, Knux   
seemed almost glad to see us. Before he could say anything, though, I   
stopped him. "We need some Barium Tetrafluoride, ASAP!"  
"Barium Tetrafluoride? Why?"  
"Because it's the only known antidote to Lithium Trioxide, which Slasher   
has 5000 cc's of going through her system as we speak. So if you don't   
mind... WE NEED IT NOW!!!" This last was not screamed out of anger, but   
out of desperation. A life was on the line, and this was almost as   
bad as dealing with red tape.  
It didn't take long for Knux to realize that this was an emergency.   
"I keep some in the first aid building down by the Pool. I'll glide   
down and get it--"  
I cut him off as I reactivated my armor. "There's no time. Hop on."   
I selected "rocket glider" mode and blasted off the peak just as K-T-E   
grabbed hold. Following his directions, I swooped low over the treetops   
and reached the first aid station in record time. Wes landed as Knux   
came out with a capped needle. The label read: WARNING! Contains BaF(4)   
Concentrate!  
"How much is there?"  
"About 3000 cc's with the kick of twice as much."  
"Won't there be an imbalance?"  
"Nah, once the Lithium Trioxide's safely inert it all gets filtered   
out of the body in 12 hours. By the way, we're not flying all the way   
back to the mainland to reach the portal, are we?"  
"Nope," I replied, as I activated a control on my wrist. Suddenly a   
portal gate appeared in front of us, and we went through it.  
When we got to Jurassic Park, there were about 20 people surrounding   
the spot where I had hidden Slasher.  
"Great; now what?" I groaned.  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Slasher, by this time, was barely breathing, but still aware of what   
was going on around her. She had been conscious when Ryan had hidden   
here here, but unable to speak. Now her vision was dim, but her hearing   
strangely acute. Must be the poison...  
She heard the voices around her now.  
"Doesn't look like one of the ones we engineered here..."  
"Must have mutated bird DNA or something..."  
If only you knew, thought Slasher.  
"What did you shoot it with?"  
"I shot it with the Lithium Trioxide... It looked like it was trying to   
escape."  
"You idiot! We could have taken it back to the lab to examine it!"  
Slasher wished these people would stop referring to her as if she were   
a _thing_.  
"Excuse me..."  
That voice sounded familiar...  
"Who the heck are you?"  
"I'm an expert on this species of dinosaur. Now if you'll excuse me--"  
---------------------------------------------------------------------  
"Just a minute, pal," the brute said as he pushed Wes away. "I just   
have two questions: where are your credentials... and how did you get   
here, anyway?"  
Wes looked at me. I nodded. Now was the time.  
Wes and I both rolled out of the way in opposite directions as Knux   
came gliding from behind and knocked out the three men that had   
turned to look at us. In the time that happened, Wes and I had   
activated our energy gloves (powered by the rings) and started laying   
punches that would have broken our hands if we hadn't been using the   
rings. Knux started in, and before long the fist fight was over:   
Team Chaos, 20; JP goons, zilch.  
Knux pulled out the needle as I found Slasher's carotid vein; that   
way the blood carrying the serum would go straight to the heart and   
disperse from there. I let Knux take care of administering the   
medicine; I hated needles myself.  
When he finished, I asked, "How long does this stuff take before we   
see any sign that she's improving?"  
Slasher looked up and stared at me for a minute. "So you're an   
expert on my species, huh?"  
---------------------------------------------------------------------  
When Slasher was strong enough to walk, we headed back to Knothole.   
Knux told us that he planned to make a formal apology to the Freedom   
Fighters. When we got near the village, Tails came running out.   
"Are you OK, Slasher?"  
Soon everyone was out, asking about Slasher, asking us how we rescued   
her, asking why we went there in first place...  
Then all became silent when they saw Knuckles standing in the   
background.  
When he saw that everyone was staring at him, he cleared his throat   
and announced, "I have an apology to make." He then related what had   
happened a month earlier, beginning with Sonic's departure from his   
week-long vacation.  
"Man, no wonder you were ticked off at me!" Sonic said when Knux was   
finished.  
"Well, I just want you to know that you guys are welcome on the island   
again anytime you want."  
Sonic looked straight at him. "Thanks, man."  
"Don't mention it."  
"Now," I cut in, "what's this technology that you risked your life   
for, Slash?"  
"This," she replied as she pulled a little black box out of her pouch.   
"It's a portable static pulse generator-- the most powerful one I've   
ever seen. This could disable a whole squad of Swats with one shot."  
"Oh, no," I groaned.  
"What is it?"  
"Why didn't you tell me? I could've given you a copy of the one I've   
got in my armor!"  
"You're kidding."  
"I wish I were." My voice echoed strangely...  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
I awoke to find myself in my bed.  
  
End Episode III  



	8. Worldwide Chaos: Prologue

The Team Chaos Chronicles-- Episode IV  
Worldwide Chaos  
  
Prologue-- Raleigh-Durham Int'l Airport, Raleigh, NC  
  
"You realize the chances of us winning a trip to Europe are close to   
nil?" Wes asked discomfortingly as we finished our perparations at the   
airline ticket counter. I reflected on his statement as we headed for   
the airport security scanners and the gate. Wes was never very   
optimistic.  
"Never quote me the odds," I replied with a lopsided grin that could   
only be matched by the great Han Solo.  
"It just seems weird, that's all," he continued. "I mean, no offense,  
but you have never won anything like this in your _life_."  
I nodded. He had a valid point. I had a hard time winning at tic-tac-  
toe. Who was I to even think about trying to win a 21-day, all-expense-  
  
paid trip to Europe against several hundred thousand people?  
"Well, come on. Our baggage is checked in and I want to get to the   
plane sometime this century," Christie interrupted. She always had a   
knack for being patient.  
Then Wes, Christie and I met up with the rest of the team, seven   
intrepid teens in all, and headed to the gate, completely unaware of   
the dark, green-eyed shadow that had been observing all the while.  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Robotnik's Complex, Planet Mobius  
  
"You succeeded in your objective?"  
"Absolutely. That remote teleporter works great. Too bad it's random."  
"That's why you need to track them to make sure that they don't find the   
rings."  
"I'm on my way. I have a telegram to send."  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Over the Atlantic Ocean  
  
The in-flight movie was UHF, so I put my Game Boy down and cranked my   
headphones up. When the movie was over I turned to Jason. "I ought to   
visit Knothole when we get to the hotel."  
"Don't you mean New Knothole?"  
"Oh, yeah, they did move again, didn't they? And for all I know they   
may be out at Eagle's Nest. I wonder if Sal has that locator finished   
yet."  
"Well, you'll probably find out when you get there whether it is or not."  
"Yeah, you're right. Well, I don't want a case of jet-lag-induced   
insomnia. Good night, Jason."  
"Good night, Ryan."  
"Good night, John Boy; good night, Mary Ellen!"  
I gave Wes a deserved swat with my pillow before I went to sleep.  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
New Knothole, Mobius  
  
Slasher stuck her head into the hut where Sally, Serena, Rotor, and   
Spark were working. "How's it coming?"  
Sally pushed her bangs out of her face. "It's slow work. The wide   
range tracker works great, but the tracking glasses lock onto Sonic   
whenever he comes by."  
"Ah, I wondered why he and Tails were out fishing instead of in here   
helping you out."  
"Yeah, having Sonic around kinda defeated the pupose of working on the   
glasses."  
"Well, how about a break for some lunch?"  
"Lunch? Someone say lunch?" Spark inquired, obviously hungry after a   
morning of welding and soldering.  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Frankfurt, Germany  
  
We had just settled into our hotel suites when the bomb dropped. We   
all discovered that our rings were missing. All seven. And we knew   
that we all had packed the rings before we left home.  
"We've got to find those rings!" Lisa was about to go psycho. Unusual   
for her.  
"The tracker," I said.  
"Huh?" Cliff asked.  
"Slash is working on an energy signature tracker... actually two. One   
is more localized than the other. If we use them in conjunction with   
each other, we should be able to find the rings!"  
"Good idea," Christie said. "Let's set up the Dimensionalizer."  
Jason booted up his laptop PC while the rest of us put together the   
portal frame. When the frame was completely assembled and hooked up   
to the PC, I entered the coordinates (I have since added preset links   
to save time; typing in the coordinates by hand is just too time-  
consuming) and jumped through the portal.  
I could see that the scanner glasses weren't finished, but I was desperate.   
I grabbed them off the table and headed back to the portal.  
"Hi, Sonic; bye, Sonic!" I said as I raced through the still-open gate.  
"What's he in a rush about? _I_ can't even run that fast," Tails noted.  
"Ya got me. Come on, it smells like chili dogs, and I'm hungry."  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Back in Frankfurt, we set the tracker up to gather data fom the   
nearest geostationary satellite. (At least that's what Cliff said he   
did.) We compared an atlas, an almanac, and the tracker data to   
eliminate energy sources such as geothermic vents, hot springs, nuclear   
power plants, and such. We had nearly eliminated all the other points,   
but we still had a good dozen points on the map that we were unsure about.  
Just then, Sonic and Tails came through the gate. "Slash figured that   
you guys had the trackers, but I just came to check."  
"Great, I'm glad you're here," Cliff said. "How can we pinpoint the   
emerald rings?"  
"The RINGS??? THAT'S why you snagged the trackers?!? Man, you guys   
ARE in trouble!!!"  
"N'duh," I replied. "Can you answer the question?"  
"Yeah, just input the specific energy resonance signature."  
"The what?" Cliff asked, clearly in over his head.  
"Type in 'Chaos Emerald' and see what happens."  
Cliff did so, and all but seven of the points disappeared. "Bingo,"   
Cliff said.  
"How did you know to do that?" Lisa asked.  
Sonic nonchalantly replied, "Sal used the emeralds as test data in the   
early stages of development. It's been one of her pet projects for a   
while."  
Sonic and Tails wished us luck and headed back to Mobius.  
  
I had a feeling we'd need a lot more than luck on _this_ adventure.  
  
End Part 1  



	9. Worldwide Chaos part 1: The Missing Ring...

Episode IV-- Continuation  
  
"So where's the nearest emerald from here?"  
"Looks like it's in the middle of the Black Forest," Cliff responded.   
"Let me download the building info from the satellite..."  
An interesting outline formed on the screen.  
"Looks like a castle."  
"It's Neuschwanstein," I said.  
"What?" Lisa asked.  
"Neuschwanstein Castle. Right near Munich."  
"That's our first stop on our tour tomorrow!" Wes exclaimed.  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Munich, Germany-- Day 1  
  
The crowd was twice as large and the line twice as long as I remembered.   
I chalked it up to tourism. Then Lisa saw the sign.  
"See the mysterious pink emerald!!!" it said.  
"Well, I guess we don't need the scannerglasses this time around," I sighed.  
It took two hours for us to get inside. Wes bought a drink from a vendor   
about halfway up the hill. By the time we reached the top, I was wishing   
I'd done the same thing.   
Christie complained for 45 minutes about the abnormal summer heat.   
She finally shut up when Wes surreptiously slipped an ice cube from his   
drink down the back of her shirt, causing her to yelp in surprise. For   
the next half an hour, she gave Wes the "okay-it-was-funny-but-I'll-  
pretend- not-to-forgive-you" look.  
When we finally got inside, about a hundred signs pointed us straight   
to the display case. Just as an experiment I checked the scanner   
glasses. Right on target.  
Lisa walked up to the display case. When she rested her hand on the case,   
the ring reappeared on her finger.  
"Perhaps we should leave now," Vicki suggested. We did, and we checked   
the wide-range scanner at a little cafe in the center of Munich. The   
newspaper headlines were already reporting the theft of the   
"Neuschwanstein Emerald" (at least, that's what the universal translation   
dictionary said). Like it was theirs in the first place...  
"What's our next stop, Cliff?" Wes asked.  
"Looks like we're headed for Vienna, Austria."  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Vienna, Austria-- Day 2  
  
Vienna. Home of the Waltz King and several other composers. Too   
bad we couldn't do much sightseeing until we found the next ring...  
I was wearing the shadescanners as we walked through town. "This   
feels weird," I announced. "Around the edges of the glasses everything   
looks normal... but looking through the lenses everything has a VR   
look to it."  
"We've got company," Jason announced.  
I raised the glasses and followed his gaze down an alley. A metallic   
red form stood about halfway down the alley.  
"Great. Robo Knux. Just what we need."  
"And now he knows we know he's here," Lisa replied.  
Sure enough, he knew that we knew that he knew that... Ah, forget it.   
I bolted after the robot, who booked it down the side street. I   
cornered him in the alleyway.  
"Congratulations," the robot began. "You've just trapped me." He ran a   
metal finger along his knuckle-spikes. "Now what? You don't have   
your precious armor this time around."  
"No," I replied casually, "but I do have this." With that, I pulled   
my lightsaber out and flipped it on. "I've learned to keep this   
handy at all times."  
"I have no doubt that if the robot's visual sensors (eyes, for all   
you non-techies) could have widened in surprise, they would have.   
"How did you manage to get _that_ through airport security?!?"  
"I leave it with Sonic." That wasn't exactly true; I leave it with   
Slasher as a backup in case of emergencies, but the winged raptor had   
made it excruciatingly clear that she was to remain anonymous as   
far as Robotnik was concerned.  
"Well," the robot countered. "It appears that you have gained the   
upper hand. I congratulate you. Hie eyes began to waver and ripple.   
Hypnosis, I immediately thought. Sonic warned me about this. RK   
will smooth talk you and distract you, while he's planning for the   
kill. I sent a quick prayer to heaven for protection from the mind   
control. The robot kept talking. "Not many people have done that...   
especially newer foes." He paused. I was still listening, giving   
every indication he had me under his spell. "But since I've been   
programmed to take every possible advantage..."  
The fist came out of nowhere. I whipped my lightsaber up and around,   
slicing off the knuckle spikes. The six-inch daggers fell to the   
ground with a clatter.  
Half a second later and I would've been skewered.  
"Nice try." I managed to stay calm, despite the fact that my heart   
was hammering against my ribs.  
The robot glared at me. "Next time," he growled. The metallic shell   
encasing the robot's circuitry began to glow, and he vanished from sight.  
But... how had he gotten to Earth in the first place?  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Floating Island, Mobius  
"Recognize these?"  
Knux looked up as I chucked the two chunks of metal onto his   
workbench. He did a double take, and his eyes widened.  
"How'd you manage to declaw that freak?"  
"A lightsaber and quick reflexes can work wonders. But this also   
means that your alter ego robot is on the loose again."  
"Where was he this time?"  
"Vienna, Austria."  
"Earth?" I nodded. "You've gotta be joking!"  
"If only I were."  
"Then this means that..."  
I finished his sentence. "Robotnik has his own improved version of the Dimensionalizer."  
  
To Be Concluded...  



	10. Worldwide Chaos part 2: The Search Conti...

Episode IV-- Conclusion  
  
Venice, Italy-- Day 3  
  
The canals of Venice sparkled under the midday sun. Jason's ring flashed   
brightly as we took a gondola tour through the "streets" of Venice.   
He had found it in the middle of Strauss' birthplace, stuck in a   
harpsichord, shortly after I had returned from Mobius. This morning   
we had found ourselves on a bus heading across Austria's southern   
border into the northern Italy; destination: Venice. As we turned   
a corner down another canal, I focused the glasses to a 3-mile range...  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Robotropolis, Mobius  
  
"You failed."  
"He was ready for me."  
"I thought you said the rings were scattered across Europe."  
"A coincidence; the cities just happened to be those on the tour."  
"You said he didn't have his ring."  
"You yourself know that the lightsaber works without the armor; he   
left it with Sonic so that airport security wouldn't catch it."  
"Why did you transport right in front of him? He probably has it   
figured out by now."  
"He'll be more cautious; I can take advantage of that." The robot   
rubbed his right hand, visibly missing the six-inch-long daggers.  
"Very well; I'll leave it in your hands... or what's left of them."  
RK glared at Robotnik, then left the room.  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Venice, Italy  
  
I finally found my ring, which was in one of the huge cathedrals in the   
middle of the city. To celebrate, we headed for a local pizza place.  
"This is pizza?" Wes asked.  
"Actually, yes," I replied.  
"This is _not_ pizza," Christie responded.  
"To Italians, this is pizza," I told her. "We haven't ordered yet, so   
if you want a Big New Yorker or something, there's a Pizza Hut across   
the street."  
"Good idea."  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------  
That night I lay on the bed in my hotel room, thinking of any way   
possible to get that red robot off our backs. We had to get rid of   
Robotnik's plans for the Dimensionalizer as well, so he couldn't use   
it again. To add a little bit of fun to it, we could also blow up his   
mainframe. Sonic's sister Serena had done that before with some huge   
magnets, but the plan needed to be executed from a distance...  
"Eureka!"  
"I resent that!" Wes commented. I'd forgotten that I was sharing a room   
with him.  
"Very funny. Do you think that you could create a virus?"  
"Sure, but what's it for?"  
"I have an idea that will get Robo Knux off our case."  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Barcelona, Spain-- Day 4  
  
We spent all night creating the virus; twelve hours, fourteen minutes, and   
three seconds, to be exact. While the others went looking for the next   
ring, the two of us crashed. Or so everyone thought. I was not going   
to sleep while I knew that RK was out there somewhere planning my   
execution. We borrowed some extra pillows from the front desk and   
formed some shapes in the beds in our room. That night we hid in the   
bathroom, with all the lights in the room off. I watched with my armor   
visor set to infrared. Sure enough, the robot sneaked in through the   
window, headed straight for one of the beds, and raised his left hand.  
The hand that still had its spikes.  
I activated my armor-enhanced Walkman, which transmitted the virus to   
RK via his audio sensors. Twelve-plus hours of programming played   
through in under ten seconds. The robot began to glow brightly, and   
suddenly he was gone.  
"Bingo."  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------  
London, England-- Day 5  
  
Wes found his ring in the Tower of London.  
"You've got to be kidding."  
"Wes," I told him, "they're not going to kill you for touching the   
glass."  
"The glass case holding the Crown Jewels of England, and they're not   
going to kill me for touching the glass? Are you crazy?"  
Refusing to argue, I grabbed his hand and lightly touched the glass   
case. The ring reappeared on his hand.  
Later that day, at a fish-and-chips place in Trafalgar Square, we   
related to the others what our plan was concerning the virus.  
"Did it work?" Lisa asked.  
"Only one way to find out," I replied.  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Robotropolis, Mobius  
  
"He was ready for you again?"  
"Yes, and this time he managed to send a delete command to my central   
computer. I must copy a file from your mainframe."  
"Very well, but make it quick."  
Five minutes later, the unexplainable happened.  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------  
New Knothole, Mobius  
  
"So the virus deleted a critical file after RK warped back here," I   
explained to Slasher. "That meant that he'd have to copy a file from   
Robotnik's mainframe. Five minutes after he makes the copy, that   
virus is going to go berzerk. Both the mainframe and RK's central   
processor are going to get absolutely fried. I also set up a power   
surge to go through a primary transformer. The electromagnetic pulse   
should fry just about anything electronic within a few miles,   
including SWATs."  
"Ruthless and efficient," Slash noted. "I like it. So when   
should the fireworks start?"  
Sally entered the hut. "Nicole just detected a temperature spike   
down in Robotropolis."  
I looked at Slasher. "I'd say in about five seconds."  
Sure enough, a huge KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!! echoed   
for about the next ten minutes. It was music to my ears.  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------  
After I returned to our dimension, we completed our Europe trip. The   
rest of us found our rings; Cliff found his in the Anne Frank House   
in Amsterdam, and Vicki found hers sitting on the Little Mermaid   
Statue near Copenhagen, Denmark. On the plane home Jason reflected   
that we'd need a vacation _after_ this vacation.  
I returned the scanner-glasses to Sally, and they were finally   
completed. Sonic used them for reconnaisance missions; it seems that   
there was some heavy duty reconstruction efforts happening down in   
Robotropolis lately.  
As for Robo Knux, no one has seen him for a while... but it's hard to   
discern whether or not that is a good thing... ... ...  
  
End Episode IV  



	11. Chronological Chaos part 1: Visitor from...

The Team Chaos Chronicles-- Episode V  
Chronological Chaos  
**Author's note: This will be the last story to introduce new   
characters... I promise!!!**  
  
"Nuts."  
"What?" Lisa inquired. She, Jason, and I were hanging out in my   
room playing an adaptation of an arcade game I was working on with   
my PC.  
"I can't get these CD tracks to work properly," I replied. The game   
was a PC adaptation of Guitar Freaks, a game in which you had to   
play along with music on a guitar-like controller. I was using a   
homebuilt controller at the moment. The program was supposed to   
pull guitar tracks off of any CD I picked, but that function was   
currently not working with my Third Day CD.  
Just then my homebuilt pager went off. Someone was making a   
connection to the Dimensionalizer gateway using a call return   
button. I checked the coordinates on the pager display.  
"That's funny."  
"What?"  
"The time-space coordinates are from nearby, but... several hundred   
years in the future. We haven't gone to the future!"  
We ran to Team Chaos HQ (also known as my bedroom in the basement)   
and arrived to find a newcomer in a suit that remotely resembled   
our armor. Only thing was, he looked more like a lizard than a   
high-tech knight. The figure removed the head, which turned out   
to be a helmet. Well, the guy looked like a normal human under   
the suit, but how did he manage to connect to the gate?  
The newcomer spoke. "My name is Gage Blackwood, Agent 5 of the   
Temporal Security Agency. I've been authorized to interact with   
you as there's an emergency that requires the assistance of two   
people from the past you have connections to."  
Boy, this guy got right down to business, didn't he? "Who   
are you looking for?"  
"Two members of a group known as the Time Rippers; their names   
are Jay and Robin."  
"Must be a couple of talking birds, if you ask me."  
I looked around for the person who had spoken that last bit,   
then did a double take when Agent 5 said, "Must you always have   
a comment for everything, Arthur?"  
"Just doing my job, Gage."  
"Uh, I don't mean to intrude... but _who_ the _heck_ are you   
talking to?!?"  
"That would be Arthur, my longtime companion, who happens to   
be a 'non-sentient organic being'."  
"I'm sorry, I don't speak politically-correct English; come   
again?"  
"He's an artificial intelligence module."  
"COOL!"  
"There's a term I never understood," Arthur noted. "What the   
heck does that mean, anyway?"  
"Cool, you know, sweet, rad, groovy."  
"Oh, okay."  
Agent 5 cut in. "Arthur is a big fan of 20th century culture.   
Anyway, back to the matter at hand..."  
"Oh, right! Just a sec while I program the Dimensionalizer..."  
"This might seem like a stupid question, but... aren't these   
'Time Rippers'... FICTIONAL?"  
"You haven't seen the half of it. Wait till you see Mobius."  
"Mobius?" Arthur apparently was accessing his files, as he was   
silent for a moment. "No way," he said at last.  
"Come see for yourselves," I invited as I stepped through the gate.  
-----------------------------------------------------------------  
-------------------------------  
"Agent 5?" Wes asked.  
"Call me Gage."  
"Gage, what's it like living with Arthur on a daily basis? I   
mean, doesn't it feel strange talking to someone who technically   
isn't there?"  
"It does seem strange hearing a disembodied voice, but I've   
gotten used to it. I don't think poor Michelle ever did."  
"Michelle?"  
"A co-worker. I'll explain on the way."  
The others followed Ryan through the gate.   
----------------------------------------------------------------  
--------------------------------  
Turned out Gage had an interesting history. He first became famous   
when he prevented Dr. Elliot Sinclair from altering history.   
Sinclair had invented the time machine known as Pegasus. The   
government shut down the program and moved the Pegasus to a   
secret location. When the Cyrollans, an alien race, invited Earth   
into the Symbiotry of Peaceful Beings, Sinclair tried to alter   
history to prevent them from coming. Gage stopped the robots   
Sinclair had sent, then apprehended Sinclair just before he fired   
on the alien delegate. (Personally, I hate political thrillers, but   
this was cool enough to catch my interest.) Gage's exploits became   
a movie, which was well syndicated. (Gage collected action figures   
from the movie. Ironic, I thought.)  
A month after that incident, Gage was visited by his future self,   
claiming he--they-- had been framed. Gage had collected evidence   
to point toward Michelle Visard, a fellow member of the TSA, who   
had framed him. It was during this episode that he had met Arthur,   
who had sent Michelle into the unknown regions of the past by   
transferring to her suit and overriding the jump circuits.   
Gage had soon afterward cleared the name of his future self.   
Unfortunately, Gage's retelling of his recovery of the Legacy of   
Time Travel was interrupted by our arrival in Mobius. I had   
been facing backwards the entire time, so when I exited I flew   
backwards, tripped on a rock, and slammed into a tree.  
-----------------------------------------------------------------  
-------------------------------  
The headache lingered despite the unconsciousness. When I awoke,   
it flamed up in full force. Slasher stood over me. "You flew   
backwards into a tree. Maybe you should start watching where   
you're going."  
I sat up: a mistake, since about a million jackhammers started   
going in my brain. "Guess I'll remember that next time."  
"Who's the new guy?" the raptor inquired.  
"His name's Gage Blackwood. He's Agent 5 of the Temporal Security   
Agency. Apparently time travel exists in our future."  
"It exists in our past, to hear Sonic tell it."  
"Yeah, Gage said he was looking for Jay and Robin." At that moment   
Sonic walked in. "Jay and Robin?" he asked as I sat up.  
"That's what the man said."  
"How are they going to know to show up? I mean, they live in the   
year 800, for crying out loud!"  
"Well, Gage said he can't time-jump here 'cause the time-space   
coordinates will be all messed up."  
"Heyyyy, I know! Come on."  
"Where are we going?"  
"To see an old friend."  
---------------------------------------------------------------  
---------------------------------  
Knux took us to the old pyramid in Sandopolis, on the Floating   
Island. Since he had the layout of the entire place memorized, it   
wasn't long before we reached the statues of Jay and Robin, the   
Time Rippers.  
Knux explained as he struggled with the base of one of the   
statues. "I found this by accident one day. Behind a panel here   
there was a note explaining that if anything is placed in this   
compartment, it is automatically transferred to a time-displacement   
unit in their present. Sort of a temporal mailbox, if you will."  
"Cool."  
Once Knux had gotten the panel open, Sonic placed a handwritten   
note explaining the situation into the compartment. The note   
glowed blue, then vanished altogether.  
"Whoa."  
Suddenly a thin blue line appeared in the side of the statue. The   
line widened to a crack, then a gap, then a gaping hole. Through   
this hole came two figures looking somewhat like Knuckles, but   
with all kinds of gear. One of them fired some sort of gun at   
the hole, which closed.  
I opened my mouth to say something, but Sonic elbowed me. "Never   
interrupt a Time Ripper when he's confirming his coordinates."  
When the two had finished determining their whereabouts, they   
turned to us. "Hey, Sonic," the younger of the two began.   
"Who's the tall guy?"  
Sonic introduced me. We shook hands, but I noticed Knuckles had   
gone into a sort of paralyzed trance. He just stared at the two   
echidnas. Robin noticed. "What's with him?"  
"Uh, he just happens to be your descendant," Sonic explained.  
"You're kidding."  
"Nope. He's the current Guardian of the Floating Island."  
"Whoa."  
Suddenly Knux broke into a crazed run. "Uh, oh," I thought as I   
raced after him. I couldn't keep up, so I was forced to activate  
my speed skates (done by touching my emerald ring to my sneakers)   
to catch up to him. I brought him to the floor in a flying   
tackle. "What's wrong with you?"  
"I don't know! I just felt like I couldn't move, then I panicked.   
I wish I knew what happened to me!"  
"You think it might be the shock of seeing your ancestors?"  
"I have no idea! I've been studying them for a long time; I can't   
figure it out!"  
"Hmmm, must be some natural occurence related to time travel. I'll   
ask Jay and Robin. Meanwhile, you head back to your place. I can   
get us out of here."  
"How? There are so many twists and turns in this pyramid..."  
"I've got this place mapped out in my armor. Now get out of here   
so you don't go injuring yourself."  
----------------------------------------------------------------  
--------------------------------  
When we reached daylight, I asked Jay and Robin about Knux's   
condition. They said they'd never heard of anyone experiencing   
psychosis from meeting their ancestors before. Strange...  
When we got back to New Knothole I saw Sally talking with Gage. Or   
so I thought. Turns out it was Nicole talking with Arthur. When   
the conversation was over, I told Arthur not to get any bright   
ideas. "Ah, she wasn't my type," came the reply.  
Once the introductions had gone all around, Gage got down to business.   
"There's a problem in my past that only you can fix," he began,   
addressing Jay and Robin. "Six months prior to the time I left,   
a large asteroid hit part of the earth, devastating everything   
within a 2500-mile radius. Fortunately, much of civilization by   
that time lived in airborne cities, such as Caldoria, where I   
live. Later, parts of the asteroid were recovered and it turns   
out that it wasn't just an asteroid... it was a civilized planet,   
yet one so small that you could walk the entire length of its   
equator in a day. Then a sign was recovered from part of the   
asteroid. It read, 'Welcome to Little Planet.'  
"Needless to say, I was heartbroken to see an entire civilization   
wiped out in such a tragic accident. Then the report came in from   
the TSA. The collision was never supposed to happen. I reported   
in and scoured every source I could find for any mention of Little   
Planet, but found nothing. Then I came across a set of electronic   
documents from the late 20th-century chronicling _my_ involvement   
in the resolution of the matter. I immediately forwarded the   
documents to the chief of operations at the TSA, who gave me the   
go-ahead to follow through with the mission. So for me, I'm pretty   
much writing the script for what I'm doing as I speak. The actions   
I take now will prompt my coming here in the first place."  
"Deep," I reflected. Then it hit me. I've been writing down my   
adventures all this time. That meant that... Whoa. I started to   
get a headache from the implications.  
A question from Wes pulled me out of my musings. "So, how do we   
get to Little Planet in the first place? I mean, it's out of   
time-phase with the rest of us, isn't it?"  
Robin answered that one. "Well, think about it. The only way to   
throw a satellite out of orbit..."  
"Is to remove that which provides the gravitational pull that   
keeps it in orbit," I finished. There was a stunned silence. Mobius   
would soon be destroyed if we didn't do something.  
And fast.  
  
End Part 1 


	12. Chronological Chaos part 2: Yet Another ...

The Team Chaos Chronicles-- Episode V  
Chronological Chaos  
  
I went back to Floating Island the next day. Knux didn't look any   
better.  
"You okay?"  
"I had a nightmare last night."  
Okay, so he was either completely crazy, delusional, or he was trying   
to warn me about something.  
He continued. "The Time Stones. Robotnik brought them back to   
Mobius. He tried to warp the entire planet into the future, but   
Mobius was destroyed in the attempt."  
Yeah. He was _definitely_ trying to warn me. "You think it's a   
premonition from God?"  
"Could be. I don't know. What can I do?"  
Only one thing I could think of that any of us could do. "Pray."  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Since I had been gone, Lisa had wisely chosen to call the rest of   
the team to assemble. I told the others about Knux's dream. The   
general consensus was that we didn't have much time.  
But what were we to do? We didn't know how to reach Little Planet,   
We didn't know where Robotnik had relocated his base, and we didn't   
know exactly how much time we had.  
Needless to say, we didn't know very much in this situation.  
"Maybe," Cliff, the team genius, conjectured, "maybe since Mobius   
underwent so much strain when it was locked into its own continuum,   
maybe the time travel attempt Knuckles was talking about simply tore   
the planet apart."  
A lot of "maybe"s, especially for Cliff, but it made sense. In fact,   
it made perfect sense. Of course Robotnik would try to take over   
Mobius again; it was his neverending, not to mention never-successful,   
hobby.  
"Yeah, well, we still don't know how to get to the Time Stones in   
the first place." Christie was always coming up with doomsday   
prophecies like that.  
"I have an idea that won't require the stones at all."  
"Yeah? What's that?"  
"I've got a stealth mode in my armor. You guys can... while I take   
care of..." Soon the whole plan had been plotted out step-by-step   
and no one could find any holes in the fabric of the whole idea.  
----------------------------------------------------------------  
----------  
The stealth mode worked just as I had planned. In the dim light of   
Robotnik's hidden base, I went unnoticed. The suit also damped my   
heat signature, so I hopefully wouldn't be picked up by any heat   
trackers. I reached the bay doors. "I'm in position," I said over   
the comlink.  
Two seconds later a blue streak screamed up to the doors. The   
security camera was on, so whoever was watching wouldn't be able   
to miss the show.  
Sonic stopped. Tapped his foot. Yawned. Finally yelled "Hey!   
What kind of second-rate security have you got, Big-Ugly? You'd   
think I lived here as easy as it was for me to get here!"  
It was all I could do to keep from laughing my head off. Suddenly   
the doors opened, revealing a half-dozen Ultra-SWATs.  
"Hey, now that's more like it!" With that, Sonic sped off, with   
the U-swats trailing far behind. I sneaked inside just as the doors   
began to close. I set off a beacon in my armor. In short order   
Gage warped in, with Lisa and Lara in tow.  
"Let's move," I told them. We made our way to the main command   
center. There we found Robotnik fuming as he watched over the   
proceedings outside.  
"I don't know what that hedgehog is up to, but he must have somehow   
caught wind of the time machine!"  
Time machine! So Robotnik didn't need the Time Stones!  
"I know that there won't be a 100-percent chance of success without   
the stones, but I will pull this entire planet into the future!   
Then I will prove that I control time itself!"  
"He's crazy!" Gage whispered to me. "There's no way anyone can   
pull that huge an amount of mass through time! Such a process is   
heavily unstable and completely suicidal!"  
"He's mad! Mad, I tell you!"  
"Shut up, Arthur!"  
"Sorry."  
"What if the hedgehog was a diversion?" Robotnik continued. "What   
if he was merely trying to get me to open the door?"  
"Cngratulations, You've just won yourself a prize!" I replied,   
stepping into the open.  
"You!"  
"Very good; you have 100 dollars. Next question for 200..."  
"Don't get smart with me!"  
"Why not? You're such an idiot you could use the extra intelligence."  
"Why you--"  
"You can't pull this entire planet through a time warp! You'll   
destroy the entire planet! There won't be anything left to take   
over! Not to mention you won't be around to take over anything!"  
"Maybe... but neither will you!"  
"NOOOOOO!!!!!"  
Robotnik slapped a button on the console. A siren began to go off.   
"Warning, Warning! Trans-chrono warp will commence in two minutes!"  
"So long, fools!" Big-Ugly took off down a corridor. Lisa and   
Lara started to go after him. "Leave him!" I called to them.   
"There's no time!"  
Gage had immediately gone to work on the console. "Everything's   
locked down! This console's useless!"  
My eyes focused on the time-warp generator itself. A cable led   
to the mainframe computer. I slashed the cable through.  
"Warning, Warning! Trans-chrono warp will commence in one minute.   
Cancellation code was unable to be downloaded."  
"Dang!"  
"What's left for options?" Lara yelled, as the whole ground started   
to tremble.  
"We have to remove the TCW core!" Gage replied.  
"How do you do that?" Lisa asked.  
"Like this!" he replied as he tore the cover off of the casing.   
I activated my energy gloves and joined him.  
"Warning! Trans-chrono warp will commence in 30 seconds."  
"Oh, shut up!" I screamed to the calmly enunciating PA system.  
Gage had finally removed the core, but it was glowing red-hot.   
"We've got to get this thing out of here! Outside the apparatus,   
it'll blow!!!"  
"Fifteen seconds to time warp."  
"That's not enough time!"  
Just then, in a blaze of rainbow light, the core was ripped out   
of Gage's hands. We ran outside just in time to watch the core   
go supernova. It was a brilliant explosion. A form fell to   
earth at our feet.  
"Sonic!" Lara helped him to his feet. He had been hyper when he'd   
snagged the coil, but now he was his typical blue self. A little   
banged up, but otherwise okay.  
-----------------------------------------------------------------  
------------  
I returned to Floating Island later that day, after Slash had   
given Sonic a full blown physical examination. Knux was up and about.  
"How you feeling?"  
"Okay, I guess. How's Sonic?"  
"How did you know?"  
"I saw the explosion all the way over here. As high up as it was,   
I figured it was him."  
"He's okay. Slash says he should wait a while before he goes   
off on any missions. Ever figure out why you went nuts back there   
in the pyramid?"  
"Gave myself a total bio-scan after you left. Had some sort of   
biochemical poison in my bloodstream. It had been there for several   
weeks, and it had just now started to kick in."  
"Any idea where you got it?"  
"No clue, but I'll give you 10 to 1 it was Robotnik."  
"Well, we know what and when. I guess we'll have to figure out   
where, why, and how later."  
Knux nodded, but I had a sneaky suspicion he wasn't telling me   
everything.  
----------------------------------------------------------------  
-------------  
"Thanks for your help. I'll be returning to a future where Earth is   
still around, thanks to you."  
"No prob. Catch you on the flipside."  
"Only if it's a decent song," Arthur chimed in as Gage warped home.  
"Now, where were we?" I asked to no one in particular.  
As if in reply, my PC crashed.  
"Nuts."  
  
End Episode V 


End file.
